Honey Whole Wheat Braided Bread

Combine yeast, warm water and 1 cup of bread flour in a large bowl to create a thin batter. Allow the mixture to rest until it exhibits signs of fermentation, approximately 10 minutes. Stir in vegetable oil, honey, 3 eggs and salt until the ingredients are fully incorporated. Gradually add 2 more cups of bread flour and whole wheat flour, alternating the flours in cupful increments until the dough becomes too dense to stir in additional flour.

Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and knead until it reaches a smooth, elastic consistency, approximately 10 minutes. If necessary, add more flour to form a slightly sticky dough. Shape the dough into a round shape. Lightly oil a bowl, place the dough inside and gently rotate it several times to coat the surface evenly. Cover the bowl with a plastic bag and let rise in a warm, draft-free environment until it has doubled in size, typically 1 to 2 hours.

Punch down the dough, knead it briefly to release some of the air bubbles and divide it into 3 equal-sized portions. Cut one portion into 3 smaller pieces. Set the remaining dough aside under a cloth to prevent drying out while you braid the first loaf.

On a floured surface, roll each small dough piece into ropes approximately the thickness of your thumb and 12 inches long. The ropes should be thicker in the middle and thinner at the ends. Join 3 ropes together at the top and braid them. Begin with the right-hand rope, move it to the left over the middle rope (which becomes the new middle rope). Take the leftmost rope and move it over the new middle rope. Continue braiding, alternating sides with each pass, until the loaf is fully braided and pinch the ends together for a neat finish. Repeat this process for the other 2 loaves, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let rise until doubled, approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a small bowl, beat 1 egg with 1 teaspoon of water and brush the mixture over the braided challah loaves. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake the preheated loaves in the oven until their tops are a deep golden brown and they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom, approximately 40 minutes. Allow them to cool on a rack before slicing.